Accidents in aviation are an unfortunate reality. For example, an airplane that goes missing or crashes is a tragedy that leaves the world wondering what fate the airplane and its passengers had. The loss of an airplane may make retrieval of flight recorders difficult, if not impossible, in some cases.
For example, the existing communications grid in extreme cases, such as this one, may not be sufficient to keep in contact with all of the airplanes at all times. Even in established areas, there is not sufficient bandwidth to monitor all of the flight data that an airplane's flight recorder collects. This vulnerability has a significant impact on the families who have lost loved ones and delays delivering closure to those families.
Similarly, naval vessels may suffer from similar issues in the event of an emergency at sea. Naval vessels have voyage data recorders, similar to flight recorders.